A portable rechargeable lantern capable of use in an explosive environment includes light emitting diode light source, fault tolerant circuitry, a rechargeable battery and a charging circuit that receives power from an external charger via an induction coil. Formed within a sealed housing, the induction coil charging system eliminates external metal contacts, thereby eliminating a potential ignition source during charging operations. Fault tolerant circuitry and a cool-running light emitting diode light source eliminate potential ignition sources due to breakage or fault conditions. Mating surfaces between the lantern and its charger cradle facilitate aligning the charging induction coils.
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1. A portable lantern, comprising:
at least one light emitting diode;
a rechargeable battery;
a secondary induction coil connected to the rechargeable battery and configured to provide charging current to the rechargeable battery;
at least three fault diodes connected between the rechargeable battery and ground; and
at least one fuse and resistor array connected between the rechargeable battery and the light emitting diode.
12. A portable rechargeable lantern system, comprising:
a lantern comprising:
at least one light emitting diode;
a rechargeable battery;
a secondary induction coil connected to the rechargeable battery to provide charging current to the rechargeable battery;
at least three fault diodes connected between the rechargeable battery and ground; and
at least one fuse and resistor array connected between the rechargeable battery and the at least one light emitting diode; and
a charging cradle comprising:
a power source;
a charging post; and
a primary induction coil disposed within the charging post and electrically connected to the power source.
3. The portable lantern of
4. The portable lantern of
5. The portable lantern of
6. The portable lantern of
7. The portable lantern of
8. The portable lantern of
a first thermistor disposed to sense a temperature of the battery;
a second thermistor disposed to sense an ambient temperature; and
a microcontroller coupled to the first and second thermistor and to a transistor coupled between the second induction coil and the battery, wherein the microcontroller is adapted and configured to regulate battery charging based in part upon signals received from the first and second thermistor by turning the transistor on or off.
9. The portable lantern of
10. The portable lantern of
11. The portable lantern of
13. The portable rechargeable lantern system of
the portable lantern further comprises a lantern light head assembly and a lantern main body assembly, said lantern main body assembly having cavities and collar feet molded into the main body assembly, and
the charging cradle further comprises protrusions integrally molded within the charging cradle configured to mate with the cavities molded into the lantern main body assembly.
14. The portable rechargeable lantern system
15. The portable rechargeable lantern system
16. The portable rechargeable lantern system
17. The portable rechargeable lantern system
18. The portable rechargeable lantern system
20. The portable rechargeable lantern system
21. The portable rechargeable lantern system
22. The portable rechargeable lantern system
23. The portable rechargeable lantern system
24. The portable rechargeable lantern system
25. The portable rechargeable lantern system
a first thermistor disposed to sense a temperature of the battery;
a second thermistor disposed to sense an ambient temperature; and
a microcontroller coupled to the first and second thermistor and to a transistor coupled between the second induction coil and the battery, wherein the microcontroller is adapted and configured to regulate battery charging based in part upon signals received from the first and second thermistor by turning the transistor on or off.
26. The portable rechargeable lantern system
27. The portable rechargeable lantern system
28. The portable rechargeable lantern system
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The present invention generally relates to explosion proof lighting equipment, and more particularly to a rechargeable portable lantern suitable for use in all explosive environments.
Several occupations require the use of a portable lantern. However, in a wide variety of hazardous environments conventional lanterns are unusable. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has classified a number of hazardous work environments where special precaution must be taken to provide workers with safe working conditions. The most extreme work environment is classified as Class I, Division 1. A Class I, Division I work environment is a location in which: (a) hazardous concentrations of flammable gases or vapors may exist under normal operating conditions; or (b) hazardous concentrations of such gases or vapors may exist frequently because of repair or maintenance operations or because of leakage; or (c) breakdown or faulty operation of equipment or processes might release hazardous concentrations of flammable gases or vapors, and might also cause simultaneous failure of electric equipment.
Examples of work locations where Class I, Division I classifications are typically assigned include: locations where volatile flammable liquids or liquefied flammable gases are transferred from one container to another; interiors of spray booths and areas in the vicinity of spraying and painting operations where volatile flammable solvents are used; locations containing open tanks or vats of volatile flammable liquids; drying rooms or compartments for the evaporation of flammable solvents; locations containing fat and oil extraction equipment using volatile flammable solvents; portions of cleaning and dyeing plants where flammable liquids are used; gas generator rooms and other portions of gas manufacturing plants where flammable gas may escape; inadequately ventilated pump rooms for flammable gas or for volatile flammable liquids; the interiors of refrigerators and freezers in which volatile flammable materials are stored in open, lightly stoppered, or easily ruptured containers; and all other locations where ignitable concentrations of flammable vapors or gases are likely to occur in the course of normal operations.
Given the high volatility present in these types of working environments, conventional lanterns cannot be safely used since their electrical connections to batteries, hot filaments, exposed metal connections and unsealed switches could cause sparks. Thus, a need exists for a rechargeable portable lantern which can operate in such dangerous environments.
The present invention provides a portable explosion proof lantern with fault proof electronic circuitry that can be used in all explosive environments that may be encountered, not just limited to certain explosive environments. Various embodiments of the present invention provide inductively rechargeable batteries for powering the device, obviating the need for disposable batteries. Further embodiments include a portable lantern with a pivoting rotating head with a multiple LED light packaged within an unbreakable explosion proof lantern body. Other embodiments provide a portable easy to use lantern for the hazardous environments that does not require an external power supply or require extension cords for the power that is more cost effective, durable and easier to use.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain features of the invention.
The various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
As used herein, the terms “about” or “approximately” for any numerical values or ranges indicates a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part or collection of components to function for its intended purpose as described herein. As used herein, the terms “high voltage,” “high signal,” “low voltage” and “low signal” refer to voltage levels corresponding to “1” or “0” in a digital logic circuit, such as a microcontroller.
OSHA has mandated that the only lantern than can be used in Class 1 Division 1 environments is a Class 1 Division 1 rated intrinsically safe light. Currently, there is no portable rechargeable lantern available in the world with this rating. The only lanterns available today for use in Class 1, Division 1 environments are lights with external power sources that must use electrical cords, or small hand held flashlights with disposable batteries.
Conventional lanterns fail to meet all of the needs of an ideal lantern for use in Class 1, Division 1 environments. Most conventional lanterns do not have explosion proof electronic circuitry and as a result may cause explosions in some hazardous environments. Such lanterns can only be rated for certain environments but not others. Other conventional lanterns are not portable, requiring external power sources and cumbersome extension cords. Conventional rechargeable lanterns have some exposed metal components, particularly metal contacts for connecting to recharging power sources. Conventional lanterns which do not have such exposed metal contacts are not rechargeable, and consequently require purchase of replacement batteries on a regular basis at a significant cost along and with the environmental problem of disposing of the depleted batteries. Lastly, many conventional lanterns for hazardous environment applications are difficult to manufacture.
To overcome the limitations of conventional lanterns, the various embodiments of the present invention feature an intrinsically explosion proof rated portable rechargeable lantern that allows recharging of an internal rechargeable battery, such as a nickel metal hydride battery, without the need for exposed metal contacts. The various embodiments include electronic circuitry that will prevent a fault condition from causing an explosion even when directly exposed to explosive gases. Further, the various embodiment use cool-running light emitting diodes (LED) instead of conventional halogen or incandescent bulbs which operate at temperatures high enough to cause an explosion if exposed to flammable vapors (such as when a bulb breaks). These electrical features are packaged in a rugged sealed housing that is designed to reliably mate with a charging stand. No known portable explosion proof intrinsically rated lantern provides these features.
As used herein, the term explosion proof intrinsic rating means that the electrical apparatus employs circuits that are not capable of causing ignition in all hazardous locations as defined in Articles 500 and 505 in the National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70 or in Division 1 hazardous (classified) locations as defined in the Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1, C22.1. To comply with such stringent requirements, a lantern must not include any circuitry which could result in an ignition source due to a fault in a circuit, breakage of any part of the lantern such as the light bulb, or arc between power sources (e.g., batteries) and lantern circuitry.
To comply with these stringent requirements, the various embodiments utilize fault tolerant circuitry, light emitting diodes (LED) instead of halogen or incandescent bulbs, and self-contained rechargeable batteries coupled to an induction charging circuit. The result is a lantern design which has addressed potential sources for ignition, such as electrical fault conditions, broken bulbs, or arcing to exposed metallic conductors. In contrast, conventional lanterns to not feature fault tolerant circuitry and typically use halogen or incandescent bulbs. Thus, when a conventional lantern fails or is dropped, an ignition source may be provided by the high temperature from a short circuit or in the light bulb filament when a bulb breaks.
Another problem with some conventional lanterns is that they have exposed metal or conductive components which are used to connect batteries to an external power source for charging purposes. The various embodiments of the present invention do not have exposed metal parts, especially no conductive metal contacts, that may cause sparking (which could provide an ignition source) if contacted by an external conductive material. To eliminate exposed metal contacts while still providing the capability of rechargeability, embodiments utilize induction charging circuitry to provide charging power to a self-contained rechargeable battery assembly within the lantern. In addition, the use of induction charging allows the unit to be totally sealed. Consequently, the various embodiments to not have any gaps or seams which would be necessary to allow for exposed metallic contacts. As an additional benefit, the use of induction charging provides a more reliable means of recharging, because metallic contacts tend to corrode.
Elements and basic operation of the circuitry of an example embodiment are now described with reference to
As shown in
When the microcontroller 103 detects that the charger cradle 2 is engaged via a high voltage on input CHRGTST, a high signal is output from the microcontroller on lead CHRG_ON. Referring to
Resistor R33 is also connected to the output of the full wave rectifier bridge 102. In a condition where the charge in the battery 104 has been depleted, a voltage will appear across resistor R33 when the output of the full wave rectifier bridge 102 provides DC voltage (i.e., when the secondary coil 133 comes into close proximity with the primary coil 143 of the charge cradle 2). The voltage across resistor R33 turns on transistor Q9 which enables a low impedance path between the battery 104 and the regulator 151. The regulator 151 is a voltage regulator with a low quiescent current (meaning that it does not waste much current) and a high voltage rating. The regulator 151 must be able to handle the highest charging voltage. To accommodate an abnormal situation in which the charger is on but transistor Q7 is in the “off” state, this voltage rating should be at least about 18v. The output from the voltage regulator 151 is used to power the microcontroller 103. When the microcontroller 103 is powered and functioning, transistors Q8 and Q7 can be activated as described above in to allow the flow of current to charge the batteries. Q9 is a P-channel MOSFET. Pin2 is the source, Pin1 is the gate, Pin3 is the drain. The threshold voltage (Vth) is the voltage necessary to turn on the device. When the gate of Q9 is pulled Vth below the source of Q9, Q9 turns on and shorts the drain to the source. If the lantern is not docked in its charger, then the gate of Q9 is pulled down by R33, R34, R35 and is thus in an on state. If the lantern is docked in the charger, then the gate of Q9 is held one diode drop above the source by D6 and Q9 is off preventing current from passing from the drain to the source.
The importance of Q9, R33 and D6 are realized when you consider what happens when these elements are not present in the circuit and the battery is extremely low. If the battery is extremely low when the lantern is put on the charger the micro may not have sufficient voltage to turn on transistor Q7. If transistor Q7 is unable to turn on, the charging of the battery will not commence. In fact, if the voltage level of the battery runs out to an exceedingly low level the micro may not operate properly. In such a situation, without transistor Q9, resistor R33 and diode D6, the lantern would not be able to recover from the low battery level and operate the voltage regulator U1
In the embodiment shown in
An on-off switch 127 is electrically connected to the microprocessor 103 to permit a user to turn the lantern 1 on and off. As illustrated in
Also shown in the schematic in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
As the lantern battery 104 charges, the relative voltage level and the temperature of the battery 104 must be monitored in order to prevent overheating and breakdown of the battery cells. As NiMH batteries charge, the temperature of the cells increases at a rate that depends upon the charge condition of the cells. At some point in the charging cycle near maximum charge capacity the rate of temperature rise increases dramatically as the chemical reaction in the cells becomes exothermic. To prevent heat induced damage to the battery cells, the embodiment illustrated in
The first thermistor 111 positioned in the battery pack to monitor battery temperature generates a voltage across the capacitor C7 (shown in
These temperature readings are important because NiMH batteries require use of a dT/dt (i.e., rate of change of temperature versus time) method for determining when a fully charge state exists and charging should be terminated. The battery and ambient thermistors 111, 112 provide signals that allow the microcontroller 103 to determine the point at which the charging chemical reactions reach the exothermic state and to terminate further charging based on that determination. When graphed along the x/y axis with temperature of the battery cell along the y-axis and time along the x-axis, a change in the slope of the graph of dT/dt can be identified by an inflection point, called a “knee” in the dT/dt curve. A program operating in the microcontroller 103 includes a “charge termination algorithm.” This algorithm detects such a change in the rate of battery pack temperature rise and terminates the charge operation (by driving CHRG_ON to low voltage turning transistor Q7 off) to prevent overheating and damage to the battery cells.
The microcontroller 103 terminates the battery charging process by driving output CHRG_ON to low, which turns off transistor Q8 on, thereby allowing the gate of transistor Q7 to reach the same voltage level as the source, thereby turning transistor Q7 off, which disconnects the full wave bridge 102 from the battery 104.
After the battery is fully charged the microcontroller 103 begins trickle charging operations by switching transistor Q7 on (by driving output CHRG_ON high) for short durations resulting in short, periodic charging pulses supplied to the battery 104.
The microcontroller 103 also monitors the battery temperature indicated by the thermistor 111 to terminate charging operations if the battery temperature exceeds a safe limit. By way of example, this determination can be based upon a simple comparison of the value of TH_BAT (or the difference between TH_BAT and TH_AMB) to a value stored in memory. Preferably, the charge operation will terminate if the battery reaches 55 degrees Celsius.
The microprocessor 103 may also terminate the battery charging process based on the total charge time. Preferably, the charge operation will terminate if the total charge time reaches 18 hours.
Referring to
The circuits driving transistors Q4 and Q10 are identical. As shown in
The circuits driving transistors Q1 and Q12 are also identical. As shown in
When the lantern 1 is placed on the charging cradle 2 and battery charging begins (as described above), the interaction of the alternating magnetic field generated by the primary coil with the secondary coil 133 causes an increase in current through primary coil. When this happens, the microcontroller 203 in the charger cradle 2 (
Referring back to
The charging cradle circuitry is further provided with a temperature thermistor which allows the charging circuit to modify the charging cycle and consequently the core temperature of the charging core. In instances of hot ambient environments, the microcontroller may drive the h-bridge in such a way that the temperature of the core becomes excessive. A thermistor formed by resistor R15 and capacitor C11 is added so that the microcontroller can take the core temperature into consideration as it drives the H-bridge. The thermistor is connected to holes P6 and P7. The resulting signal is filtered and presented to the microcontroller input line at TH_CORE. In order to support widely varying input voltages, the microcontroller is programmed with a constant power algorithm. The duty cycle is modified to control the power into the primary and consequently the power in to the secondary coil of the lantern. The constant power algorithm is useful for preventing the core from experiencing excessive temperature which can result in a breakdown of components.
When the lantern microcontroller 103 initiates trickle charging operations as described above, the brief periodic charging pulses to the battery 104 induce brief periodic increases in current in the primary coil of the charger cradle 2. The microcontroller 203 in the charger cradle 2 detects such intermittent changes in the charge current and in response turns on the green LED positioned on the cradle to indicate that the lantern battery is fully charged and trickle charge is occurring. As shown in
The lantern's cylindrical shape also provides significant impact resistance and greatly improves the survivability of the lantern when dropped onto hard surfaces. The cylindrical shape further allows for mating parts to use threaded screw couplings for easy assembly. This feature eliminates the need for conventional fastener technology such as exposed metal fasteners, internal snap fits or adhesives, while allowing for easy disassembly for service. Additionally, the cylindrical shape allows for the use of off-the-shelf O-rings to provide sealing between mating parts against vapor, water and dirt intrusion.
As shown in
Contained within the light head assembly 380 is a printed circuit board assembly 301 containing the LEDs 395. The printed circuit board assembly 301 is connected to an LED heat sink 302 which dissipates heat generated by the LEDs 395 to prevent overheating. An LED reflector plate 303 is positioned behind the LEDs 395 to reflect light from the LEDs 395 and form a directed beam of light. A lens 313 is positioned over the LEDs 395 to protect the LEDs 395 from impact and sealed to protect them from the ambient environment. A lens ring 312 is placed over the lens to hold the lens 313 in place. The lens ring 312 may be fitted with threads to enable it to be tightly fastened to the lens 313 and hold the lens ring 312 in place. A hood 311 is fitted over the lens ring 312. The hood 311 keeps dust, dirt and other particulate matter from scratching the lens and/or covering the lens, which would diminish the light output of the lantern. When these pieces are in place and fastened, a watertight compression seal is created between the lens 313, lens ring 312 and hood 311. In this manner, the LEDs 395 are further shielded and isolated from the ambient environment. A rotator 315 is included to allow the user to rotate the light head assembly 380 both inline with axis of the lantern body and at 90 degrees off the axis of the lantern body. When engaged, light head assembly 380 rotates 90 degrees off the main axis of the lantern main body in a pivot hole located in the rotator 315. An O-ring creates a watertight seal between the lens housing and the rotator.
The light head/rotator assembly 380 is fastened to the front main body assembly 390 by threading the front collar 319 over the junction between the light head/rotator assembly 380 and the front main body assembly 390. O-rings 320 and 338 are placed within the front collar 319 to help to seal the lantern components, thereby isolating them from the ambient environment. The O-rings 320 and 338 create a watertight seal and allow rotation of the light head/rotator assembly, 350 degrees around with the axis of the lantern main body. The front collar remains stationary in the assembly.
A trigger 324 is located just behind the front collar 319. The trigger 324 has a pocket for the installation of electromechanical switch 326. The electromechanical switch 326 switches the power from the battery cell to the LEDs 395. A tongue is inserted from the exterior of the lantern, through a snap in the gasket, and into slots in the trigger 324. The tongue travels with the trigger when the trigger is actuated and is the mechanism that locks the lantern into the charger. The gasket creates a water tight seal for the tongue movement. The grip backup front is a rigid plastic part that the thermoplastic rubber grip front overmold is insert molded around. The grip backup front contains the threads that the front collar threads onto. The grip backup back is very similar to the grip backup front and is insert molded with the grip back overmold A trigger coil spring 327 is placed within the front main body portion and connected to the trigger 324. The trigger coil spring 327 allows a user to depress the trigger 324, thereby switching the lantern on and off, after which the spring returns the trigger 324 to its original position.
A grip front assembly 330 is created by overmolding the grip front overmold onto the grip backup front. The grip front assembly 330 provides half of the grip assembly 395. The other half of the grip assembly 331 is created when the rear main body assembly 391 is joined with the front main body assembly 390. Grip front assembly 330 is joined with grip back assembly 331 to create the overall user grip assembly 395. The grip assembly 395 may be provided with a soft, tactile gripping surface. Such a surface improves user satisfaction by reducing hand fatigue and increasing slip resistance when wet. The grip assembly also forms a watertight, flexible cover around the trigger 324. Common materials for the gripping surface including thermoplastic rubber.
Rechargeable battery cells 322 are contained within a chamber 396 created between the front main body assembly 390 and the rear main body assembly 391. The chamber 396 containing the rechargeable battery cells is a watertight compartment with watertight seals on all ends. A thermoplastic rubber stopper 351 compresses the batteries cells 322 within the chamber 396. The thermoplastic rubber stopper 351 cushions the battery cells 322 within the chamber 396 during an impact such as when the lantern is dropped. The secondary coil 133 is disposed in the center of the rear main body assembly 391. As discussed above with respect to
The foregoing description of the lantern assembly is further illustrated in
Referring to
While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to certain example embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations, and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphere and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but that it have the full scope defined by the language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof.
Smith, Mike, Kelly, Kevin, Goodman, Randy, Kline, Bret, Brundage, Marty
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May 17 2007 | KELLY, KEVIN | Sunlite Safety Products, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 019490 | /0663 | |
May 21 2007 | BRUNDAGE, MARTY | Sunlite Safety Products, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 019490 | /0663 | |
May 22 2007 | SMITH, MIKE | Sunlite Safety Products, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 019490 | /0663 | |
May 31 2007 | GOODMAN, RANDY | Sunlite Safety Products, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 019490 | /0663 | |
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